Frequently Asked Questions:

Why water? 

Water is a powerful symbol.  It is a necessity of human survival and has been cited by Islamic and secular sources to be a proponent of the origins of life.

This vital resource was denied to Imam Husayn (a) and his supporters during the tragedy of Karbala, when the army of Yazid blocked access to the river Euphrates. The men were slaughtered and martyred thirsty, while the women and  children were paraded on the streets and taken as slaves.  

Our symbolic gesture of giving water is an act of solidarity with Imam Husayn(a) and his family who struggled against oppression for the sake of humanity.  We wish to spread the message of Imam Husayn (a) by sharing this vital resource with others.

 

What does the Water On Ashura Campaign provide? 

Our job as a committee and a national campaign is to help facilitate, not neccessarily organize, this initiative by supporting, consulting, networking, and empowering volunteers that want to take part in the activity by providing potential designs, media-related documents, informational pamphlets, media exposure, ideas, and suggestions. 

 

I signed up. Now what do I do? 

We have gotten many forms from a variety of different individuals. We have (or will) contact each of you individually and let you know who else would be volunteering around your demographic. We will do our best in assisting you, but please note we will not do the actual organizing (eg. handing out bottles) in your region – that is yours and the volunteers duties. 

 

Can non-college affiliated individuals contribute and can we do it in a non-college environment? 

Of course. The project is open to everyone and in all crowded places. 

 

I am from Canada, can I join?  

Although we are based in the United States, we are open to all people, including Canadians (and other countries). But please note our contacts and major demographic make up is in the US, so we will follow US-standards.

 

Designs and dimensions?

We suggest using the following dimensions: 2.25″ x 7″, since this is optimized for clear plastic water bottles. We have designs in pdf, jpg, and .psd format that will be coming soon. You are welcomed to change whatever you want in order to cater to your target audience. 

 

Companies to order from? What are the costs? 

We recommend the following companies (prices and shipping vary with quantity): 

    O Waters (with bottles, mention “SMSA” for extra discount)

    Frontier Label, Inc. (labels only)

    Bottle Your Brand (includes bottle option)

    Billboard Bottles (includes bottle option)

 

What date should we hand out the bottles? 

We know not everyone would be able to hand out the bottles on the same date, so we don’t have one specific date set, but we recommend multiple dates, including January 6, January 20, or February 5. However we ask all of our volunteers to please inform us on the date they have chosen, so we can document it for our and media-related records. 

 

Will this be documented? 

Yes, this campaign will be fully documented. We have artists, journalists, and producers working with us. Press releases, and news will be sent out to the major media outlets, and a potential documentary may also be developed, but the quality of our results depends on how the volunteering groups respond. We are asking all volunteers and groups to send us all pictures, and clips or any media-related material to us, so we can use it to promote Islam, the Ahlul Bayt (a), and the initiative.

 

Can groups obtain some type of funding? 

Maybe. We cannot guarantee funding, but depending on the donations we receive (if you are interested in donating please email us at WaterOnAshura(at)gmail.com), Water on Ashura will try provide a small grant to those organizations who cannot afford to support their local chapter of the water project.  We will be accepting applications and considering groups without sufficient community funding to support the activity (email us at WaterOnAshura(at)gmail.com).

The amount awarded and number of grants will be based on the need of the each applying volunteer group.

Organizations interested in receiving the grant must display:

 

  1. A sincere need of the award.
  2. A track record of activity and commitment to the responsibility of distributing the water.
  3. A desire to take advantage of the unique opportunity to spread the message of Imam Husayn(a) through the Water on Ashura activity.
  4. Applying groups should email us with a prepared detailed plan of execution for the Water on Ashura project, which should include

              a. Location of distribution

              b. Roles of members participating.

              c. An outlined budget outlining costs of the activity